Happy Birthday, Sad Eyes
by LaurelRose
Summary: September 10, 1992 from Ami's eyes. A short, slightly WAFF-y birthday fic.


I don't like exams.

Really.

I know it's a shock. I love to learn, I love school, I love the subjects, the teachers, even the homework.

I promise I'm not crazy. You see, I love to learn. Everything I listed? That's learning. The tests are for other people like my mother, my teachers.

Even my friends.

Today I have an English exam. I wish I didn't. I don't hate English; I just think it's an overly difficult language. It's like, whoever invented the language (if languages could even be invented) tried to make the structure erratic. German's much simpler.

Having a test today just puts the icing on the cake. Today's September 10, and I've always had bad luck with September 10.

Today's my birthday.

* * *

Happy Birthday, Sad Eyes

A Sailor Moon Story by LaurelRose

We entered the room and sit down. Haruna-sensei came in a few minutes later and handed out the exam. I got to work, knowing that the sooner I finished, the sooner I could get out. Usagi, Rei, and Makoto had made plans to take me out for my birthday dinner. According to Mako-chan, "For one day in your life, you can forget about juku and have fun!"

I've learned that Mako-chan can be very persuasive.

As I continued through the exam, I began to notice that the boy next to me was having some problems. Looking at him from the corner of my eye, he seemed to be erasing an answer rather violently. It got to the point where the eraser popped out of his hand, across the table, and landed next to my hand.

I looked into his eyes. I never have been as good as Usagi at reading people, but I can sense a mixture of terror, awe, and determination in his eyes. It unnerved me, and lately, it takes pretty strange things to unnerve me. I knew I had to say something, but I was speechless.

So I wished him good luck and told him to relax, sounding terribly formulaic and trite. However, it seemed to help. He visibly calmed down and went back to his exam. I couldn't help but watch him out of the corner of my eye. I'd seen him somewhere before. I ran through the mental checklist quickly.

Student?

Well, he is new. Umino-kun doesn't have any dirt on him (although any rumor of Umino-kun's I take with a grain of salt.)

Juku?

Nope. Neither from the Crystal Academy or my new school. He looks like he'd fit in, though.

My old school?

I don't think so. Not unless he went there a long time ago.

Then the one category I hate to bring up.

Dark Kingdom?

No. Unless he's someone we haven't seen yet.

I spend so much time thinking about the strange boy on my right that I don't finish the exam. I leave the question I was working on blank.

* * *

As soon as I left the exam room, I looked for him. I don't know why; I really don't enjoy talking to boys. It's always made me nervous. After searching high and low and watching just about everyone else leave, I realized he had already disappeared. However, I did bump into Makoto. She studied me for a second, then said, "You look like you've seen a ghost."

"Maybe I have." I began to describe the boy in the exam room. "He's taller than me when he sits, although he was bowed over his exam, and he has dark hair and eyes. I think he's shorter than you, though. He seems very intense and studious, and—"

She cut me off. "Wow, that's a pretty good description for just seeing him in an exam room! I think you're interested in him!"

"Mako-chan, I am not!" I gave her an appalled look. "He...he just intrigued me, that's all."

"Intrigued?" She laughed. "C'mon, birthday girl. We're going to celebrate the big 1-5!"

"Big 1-5?" I raised my eyebrows.

She shook her head. "I made it up! Let's go!" Mako began pushing me out of the building, telling me about my big evening.

* * *

Somewhere out there, fate is laughing. Fate, or destiny, or whatever you want to call it (because I don't believe in it) is finding Mizuno Ami very entertaining. The strangest things happen to me, like meeting a black cat that gave me the power to change the world, or being pulled from my old school at the worst moment in my life, or continually running into people that seem to suck me into some kind of déjà-vu reality.

Except I don't believe in déjà-vu.

Today is my birthday.

And tomorrow will be just another day.

I wonder, what did he make on that test?

* * *

AN: My birthday fic for Ami. Sorry it's a little late, I had issues with it coming out correctly. The title actually comes from Ryo's nickname for Ami in Ken Wolfe's _Secrets_ series. I liked it, and the title stuck.

This is taken from the flashback in Episode 27: Love to Ami-chan?! A Boy Who Sees the Future.

So there.

Now I'm going to study and do other Ami-like things.

Because I hate tests, too. ;)

The Rose of Victory,

LR

PS: read this: http:www.ncf.ca/cz159/lostlove.txt It's a Greg Taylor gem I somehow ran across.


End file.
